Eddie Murphy to return as "Beverly Hills Cop"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If Indiana Jones can make a
successful comeback after almost 20 years, why not the Beverly
Hills Cop?

Paramount Pictures has given the go-ahead for a fourth
installment of its "Beverly Hills Cop" franchise, with Eddie
Murphy on board to return to the role that launched his movie
career, the studio said on Thursday.

The film is expected to begin filming next year for a
summer 2010 release.

According to Daily Variety, it was Murphy, 47, who
approached the Viacom Inc-owned studio about reviving the film
series in which he plays a Detroit police detective, Axel
Foley, who ends up chasing crooks in Beverly Hills, California.

The original 1984 film and its two sequels, the last of
which opened in 1994, collectively grossed more than $735
million in theaters worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
The first movie alone took in over $316 million globally.

The decision to make "Beverly Hills Cop IV" follows
Paramount's success with the revival of its "Indiana Jones"
franchise after 19 years. The fourth film in that series, "The
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," opened last Thursday and grossed
nearly $152 million in its first five days in domestic release.

Murphy's last two films, the live-action comedy "Norbit"
and the animated storybook satire "Shrek the Third," in which
he supplied the voice of a talking donkey, grossed $159 million
and $799 million worldwide, respectively, according to Box
Office Mojo.